Looking Back and Then Ahead

The holidays and the busy-ness that comes along with it, have now come and gone.  My blogsite sat quiet that whole time, giving my political nerves a much needed rest. As I look back on 2014, many events are worth remembering, albeit briefly:

• The politicization of Ebola and the inexplicable reluctance by the President to ban flights from Ebola stricken countries.
• The huge wave of Republican gains in Congress, State Legislatures, Governorships on Election day.
• Jonathan Gruber, architect of Obamacare, caught several times on video admitting that the only way to pass the mammoth bill was to manipulate and lie to the 'stupid' Americans.
• Racial tensions exploded due to the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner by police. Although facts of those cases didn't support the racist claims, the mayor of NYC latched onto those themes and created even more tensions with the NYPD, which ultimately led to the assassination of two police officers.
• The flooding of our southern border with tens and tens of thousands of illegals from Central America. This included thousands of children, many unaccompanied, who subsequently have been parceled out to cities across the U.S.
• Not to worry, Obama granted amnesty to millions of illegals, ursurping his power, once again, as the President.
• Iran is closer to having nuclear weapons, China is the world's #1 economy, Russia has moved into Ukraine, relations with communist Cuba have been 'normalized', North Korea hacks into communications giant Sony and stifles free speech, Israel is more alone than ever without the usual staunch support of the U.S., and Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering the effects of Islamists who are filling the vacuum we left behind. 
• The barbarism of Islamic terrorists escalates with many beheadings, unspeakable torture, and violent rape, as their desired caliphate in the mid-East expands.
• Conservative political speech continued to be stifled, as witnessed by: the IRS investigation, in which we learned that the directive to audit certain groups came from the top in Washington; several speakers, originally slated to speak at colleges, were then subsequently banned when Leftist groups protested their appearances; insurance companies were pressured by the White House not to speak out against Obamacare, lest they get retribution; Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was forced to resign due to the revelation that he donated to an anti-gay marriage cause years before.

These examples are a drop in the bucket in a year of incredibly worrisome events for our country. 

As the new year begins, I'm gearing up for what lies ahead by tuning in and staying informed. Although not a peaceful route to take, (as staying away from the news can be), it's an important route for all of us to take. The path that this country is on, the path that this world is on, is filled with challenges. If we are to remain in control of our future and our children's future, we must know what it is we're up against, so that we can take steps to prepare and to resist if necessary.

Wishing all a happy and healthy New Year for 2015.